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• UMass will play a pair of road games over a four-day stretch, beginning Saturday at Providence. It will then make the second of two trips outside of New England in non-conference play, facing BYU in Provo, Utah on Tuesday, Dec. 23. This closes a stretch where the Minutemen will play four of six games on the road.
• The UMass Sports Network will feature the "Voice of the Minutemen" Josh Maurer handling play-by-play duties alongside analysts Tim Collins. The game can be heard live starting at 12:40 PM (ET) on 105.5 FM WEEI (Springfield), 440 AM WVEI (Worcester), 1200 AM WXKS Bloomberg Radio in Boston and on 95.5 FM WATD in Boston's South Shore. The broadcast is also available online through www.UMassAthletics.com and on smart phones and tablets through the TuneIn app.
• The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network
QUICK HITTERS
• This is the 106th season of UMass Basketball. UMass has an all-time record of 1,236-1,084 (.533) in 2,320 games. UMass is 458-314 (.593) in conference games, including a 294-294 in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutemen have claimed 15 regular-season conference championships and five tournament titles.
• UMass enters the final three non-conference games with a strength of schedule between 13 and 16 according to most statistical formulas. The Minutemen's next three opponents all have top 100 RPIs - at Providence (73), at BYU (64) and vs. Iona (70).
• The Minutemen rank 63rd nationally in scoring (74.8), 1st in FT made (214), 3rd in FT attempted (296), 72nd in FT pct. (72.3%), 75th in steals (7.7) and 69th in blocks (4.8).
• UMass is 6-2 when scoring at least 70 points. It is 2-1 when leading at half and 1-0 when tied at the break.
• The Minutemen are 16-5 (.761) in the month of December over the past three-plus seasons (5-1 each year) and 26-15 (.634) in Derek Kellogg's previous six years.
• UMass entered the year having won 70 games in the last 3 years (25, 21 & 24) and participated in 2 NITs (reaching Final Four in 2012) and 2014 NCAA tourney.
• The Minutemen return seven letterwinners, including starters Maxie Esho and Cady Lalanne, from last season that went 24-9 overall and 10-6 in Atlantic 10 play en route to it's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years (1998). The team also returned to the national rankings for the first time since 1998- 99, climbing as high as No. 12 in late January.
SERIES HISTORY WITH PROVIDENCE & THE BIG EAST
• UMass and Providence will be meeting for the 30th time as the Friars hold a 22-7 series lead. The teams played at least once every year from 1962-80 with the majority of those contests in the Yankee Conference..
• UMass is riding a two-game winning streak in the series following last year's 69-67 overtime thriller on Dec. 28, 2013. Derrick Gordon made a putback of a Trey Davis errant 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in overtime to give the No. 23/22 Minutemen the win in front of a sold out Mullins Center. UMass (11-1) had five players in double figures, with Sampson Carter (12 points, 12 rebounds), Cady Lalanne (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Chaz Williams (10 points, 10 assists) collecting double-doubles. The Minutemen shot 39 percent and were just 9-of-18 from the free throw line. UMass never trailed in the overtime. The extra session was needed when the Friars closed the second half on a 13-3 run over the final 4:01.
• UMass claimed the last neutral-site match up, 77-75, in the 2012 Puerto Rico Tip Off on a Terrell Vinson tip-in at the buzzer. UMass shot 51 percent and outscored PC 7-2 in the final 2:01. The rally was necessary when the Friars erased an eight-point second half margin and went ahead via a 13-4 run with a 3-pointer at the 8:52 mark. PC made just two baskets in the final six minutes but was 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
• Prior to the game in Puerto Rico, PC had won four straight in the series with UMass' last win on Jan. 13, 1979.
• The Friars won the initial contest, 36-21, on Mar. 1, 1932 in Amherst.
• UMass has compiled an 26-62 record against teams currently in the Big East Conference. The Minutemen are 0-1 vs. Butler, 3-1 vs. DePaul, 1-1 vs. Georgetown, 0-2 vs. Marquette, 7-22 vs. Providence, 0-8 vs. St. John's, 3-2 vs. Seton Hall, 2-12 vs. Villanova and 10-13 vs. Xavier. UMass has not faced Creighton.
CANISIUS LEFTOVERS• UMass has now won 14 of its last 15 regular-season non-conference home games and is 35-10 (.778) in six-plus seasons under Derek Kellogg.
• UMass and Canisius met on the hardwood for the third time in history but the first since 1963. The Minutemen now lead the series 2-1.
• The Minutemen improved to 3-0 against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference teams this season. They play a fourth on Dec. 30 when Iona visits the Mullins Center.
• UMass shot 6-for-17 from 3-point range, setting season-highs for both categories.
• The Minutemen handed out a season-high 22 assists on 25 field goals. The starting backcourt trio of Trey Davis (4), Derrick Gordon (5) and Jabarie Hinds (6) combined for 15.
• UMass committed just 12 turnovers, one shy of the season-low against Florida State.
• UMass outscored Canisius 34-22 in the paint. It was just the third time this season the Minutemen held the advantage in that category, improving to 3-0.
• Redshirt senior Maxie Esho finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and 6-of-6 at the FT line. It was his third 20-plus point game of the season and fourth of his career. All four have come in the last 12 games. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. That was his third 9-board game this year and one shy of his career high set at Duquesne last year. His 7-for-9 showing moved his season numbers to .554 shooting.
• Senior forward/center Cady Lalanne finished with 16 points, going 5-of-7 with eight rebounds and one block. He now has 882 career points, 674 rebounds and 160 blocked shots.
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